Content Delivery Coordinator Apparatus and Method

a content delivery and coordinator technology, applied in electrical equipment, location information based services, wireless commuication services, etc., can solve the problems of inefficient use of transponder resources and limited available transponder bandwidth, and achieve the effect of reducing the cost of operation and maintenance, and improving the efficiency of operation

Inactive Publication Date: 2013-05-30
THE BOEING CO
View PDF7 Cites 24 Cited by
  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The present system is directed to a content delivery coordinator system and method which manages delivery of various types of information content to a plurality of mobile platforms operating within a given coverage region, where each of the mobile platforms are in communication with the present system via a transponded satellite communications link. The present system more specifically involves a content management coordinator system and method making use of a graphical user interface (GUI) to provide a wide variety of options to an operator associated with the mobile platforms such that the operator can select and tailor the delivery of various types of information content to the mobile platforms. The operator is in communication with the graphical user interface by any suitable means, such as via a wide area network, for example the Internet connection. Through the GUI, the operator can effectively program the delivery of various types of information content to each of its associated mobile platforms. In one particular form, the operator may comprise an airline and the mobile platforms may comprise aircraft operating within a given coverage region being served by the transponded satellite. Once the operator has defined various criteria for the delivery of information content, the content management coordinator makes use of a suitable delivery mechanism for transmitting the information content to the transponded satellite, which in turn transponds the information to one or more mobile platforms.
[0015]In another preferred form the content management coordinator system provides cost information to the operator that enables the operator to select certain types of information content that may be made available to the mobile platforms, upon their request, based on various costs associated with the supply of the information. This allows the operator to further tailor the types of information content that may be made available to each mobile platform accessing the system in a manner that allows the operator to manage the overall cost incurred in supplying the information.
[0018]The present system and method thus more effectively allows various types of information content such as web pages, news articles, video files, software or any other form of information content available in electronic form, to be coordinated and aggregated more efficiently before the content is transmitted to mobile users in one or more distinct satellite coverage regions, or even to mobile platforms traversing more than one satellite coverage region. This enables information content to be more efficiently packaged before the information content is provided to the delivery mechanism and from there to the satellite transponder, or transponders, operating within one or more coverage regions.

Problems solved by technology

Since multiple mobile platforms operating within a given coverage region may only rarely be requesting the exact same information content (e.g., specific weather service or news information), the opportunity exists for the limited available transponder bandwidth to be used inefficiently.
This would necessitate using additional transponder bandwidth to deliver the same content to aircraft B. As one can see, transponder resources can end up being used quite inefficiently if the availability of information content is not managed and its delivery is not coordinated in an efficient way.

Method used

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more

Image

Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Viewing Examples
Smart Image
  • Content Delivery Coordinator Apparatus and Method
  • Content Delivery Coordinator Apparatus and Method
  • Content Delivery Coordinator Apparatus and Method

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

Embodiment Construction

[0024]The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

[0025]Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a content management coordinator system 10. The system 10 is in bidirectional communication with a mobile platform operator 12, via a wide area network connection 14. The mobile platform operator may be a commercial airline or any other entity having control over one or more mobile platforms that are interfacing with the system 10. The wide area network connection 14 may be an Internet connection or any other form of connection allowing bidirectional communications between the mobile platform operator 12 and the system 10.

[0026]The system 10 is further interfaced via a wide area network 16 with a plurality of regional information content centers 18a, 18b and 18c. Regional content centers could alternatively be sea-based or space-based centers. Network 16 may also comprise the ...

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to view more

PUM

No PUM Login to view more

Abstract

Apparatus and method for managing and coordinating the delivery of information content in a manner that makes efficient use of the bandwidth of satellite based transponders being used to relay the information content to the mobile platforms. The apparatus makes use of a content management coordinator system having a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI interfaces with one or more mobile platform operators to allow each of the operators to define the criteria by which various types of information content to be supplied to the mobile platforms. The apparatus further includes a file spaced storage monitoring subsystem which allows the file storage space available on each mobile platform to be monitored, and files deleted therefrom if necessary, to ensure that newly requested information content can be stored by the mobile platform. Information content is coordinated and aggregated as needed to ensure that transponder bandwidth is used most effectively for delivering various types of information content to each mobile platform requesting the content within each coverage region being controlled by the apparatus.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]Methods and apparatus for delivering information content from a ground based content provider to mobile platforms operating within a predefined coverage region, and more particularly to a content delivery coordinator system and method which allows a ground based operator of the mobile platforms to select specific types of content to be made available to the mobile platforms under various selected conditions and criteria defined by the operator.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The demand for information content, such as access to email accounts, information available over the Internet or other wide area networks, by individuals traveling on mobile platforms is expected to rise dramatically in the following years. Presently, various forms of mobile platforms, and particularly commercial aircraft, are being outfitted with equipment enabling the aircraft to communicate, via a transponded satellite communications link, with a ground based information content p...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to view more

Application Information

Patent Timeline
no application Login to view more
Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H04W4/04H04W4/029H04B7/185H04L12/28H04L29/06H04L29/08
CPCH04B7/18508H04L29/06027H04W4/04H04L67/1095H04L69/329H04L67/26H04L67/12H04L67/2842H04L67/36H04L67/55H04L67/568H04L67/75H04W4/029H04L65/1101
Inventor TAYLOR, SCOTT P.
Owner THE BOEING CO
Who we serve
  • R&D Engineer
  • R&D Manager
  • IP Professional
Why Eureka
  • Industry Leading Data Capabilities
  • Powerful AI technology
  • Patent DNA Extraction
Social media
Try Eureka
PatSnap group products